US Navy Launched Something That Shouldn’t Exist… Iran Can’t Stop It – story-veterans.com

If operationally deployed, such systems would alter the economic equation. Instead of expending a missile for every incoming drone, a destroyer could potentially neutralize multiple targets within a single engagement cycle, limited primarily by power generation and thermal management rather than magazine count.

This does not make conventional weapons obsolete. Directed energy systems depend on targeting data. Low-flying drones skimming sea clutter can complicate radar discrimination. Environmental factors, geometry, and deconfliction with friendly interceptors introduce constraints. In a complex battle space that includes ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and surface threats simultaneously, commanders must carefully coordinate engagement sectors to prevent interference between systems.